Kriegerin

Even though many films have brilliantly shown the topic of neo- Nazism and its rise in contemporary society, Kriegerin ("Combat girls") focuses on the role of women in this environment. In the core of a strongly misogynistic ideology, women have to be twice as violent to impose themselves and find their own place. But it is not this exacerbate violence or hatred (even if it is realistic) that constitutes the strength of the movie, but the slowly change that takes place in Marisa thanks to an Afghan teen who she will help without really knowing why. Located in a cold economically fragile Germany, the boy will turn Marisa's life outside down. The symbolism of "a life lost is a life gained" is strong and the characters are colourful. The coup de grâce of the film comes from its poetry that is well-paced distilled and, between one aggression and another, manage to break through the film's cold colours, making it even more beautiful. Full review on our blog : https://losindiscretos.org/english/combat-girls-2011-david-wnendt

The film is not bad and conveys a clear message. It is authentic to a certain extent. Everyone who grew up in Germany knows the neo-Nazi scene, even if it is negligibly small and insignificant. However, the focus in the film is not on National Socialism, but rather on how one distorts one's view of the world through given circumstances and perhaps also wrong decisions in the youth. The plot could just as easily have taken place in the radical left scene or any radical religious scene. At the end of the film, you'll learn why the main character slipped into the right milieu. Often it is just bad luck, for example when your caregiver and role model comes up with the wrong ideas in your childhood. But sometimes it's just the rebellion against the parents, while meeting the wrong people at the wrong moment, as the younger Svenja portrays. In the end, Marisa finally managed to create her own view of the world. The question remains whether Svenja can do this too.

A film about right wing racism in Germany and a groan is predictable. While following the narrative of such stories, the cast and the style of the film offer a new perspective.

The film is presented in a semi-documentary style, with scenes and transitions which are more like a documentary. The near realism - or TV like visual style - makes the building of the story interesting and unpredictable.

The present is mixed with the back story of the lead character which allows for insight without her telling us because she can't.

The cast have seemingly inhabited the roles and the script and together with the camera work, which puts the audience in the center of things, adds to the directness of the film.

The story of racist violence is counterpointed with violence at other levels between the German characters and their families. In this grim environment a brief reconciliation emerges but is quickly shattered. The ending is almost poetic in an ugly place.

A very fine achievement.

There are movies worth seeing and movies which need to be seen. This is both. It's a brilliant piece of acting by the whole cast, with a stellar performance from Alina levshin, and an understated but efficient directing from David Wnendt. But it is also a frighteningly cold and accurate view of neo nazism. The routine violence and hate carried by these young individuals echoes of all the fanaticism that surrounds us today. It is a very disturbing depiction of how society is step by step going to waste, turning back to tribal models.

Despite the fact that the movie gets watched without any slowing down or loss of interest, even if it can make one feel a little voyeuristic at times, this is no easy viewing, don't expect to come out of the theater with anything resembling a smile on your face. But at lest you'll be sure to have food for thought and both a new director/writer and actress whose careers you'll want to keep following.

I'm certain this is going to be Germany's nominee for the Oscars.

The auteur, David Wnendt, seems to have collected a lot of true stories and pieced them together into a fast-paced, very violent, often harrowing and quite unpredictable plot.

Most of you don't know the East German neo-nazi scene. You'll ask yourself if this is really how these people live and talk. Believe me, it is. This movie is so close to reality it often feels like a documentary. I expected to sit in the cinema nitpicking, counting mistakes. I found just one. (A license plate with an "88" in it. The German license plate office doesn't allow that.) All the actors are unknowns and few of them get to shine. All the adults in this story are wooden and almost all the teenagers are idiots. Their main job is to convey total ignorance about the extent of their ignorance. They do that well. Jella Haase is very good.

But Alina Levshin is the one who's superstar material. This is her movie, and it will be remembered as her breakthrough. Two of the movie's most memorable scenes are long uncut closeups of her face, not speaking, and they're some of the best acting I've seen, ever.

Do see it. Just don't expect to sleep easily the night after.